Savannah: Daddy's Girl
by quiet-heart
Summary: This picks up where "CSI: Miami: Savannah, Do You Ever Think of Me?" left off. Now Horatio, Savannah, and Calleigh are in Las Vegas for a forensic conference, along with a few friends from New York and trouble is on the horizon. Story completed.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Well, Savannah is back, just like I promised... and so is trouble.

**Chapter 1**

Miami-Dade PD CSI Lieutenant Horatio Caine watched with amusement as Miami-Dade PD forensic artist Savannah Caine stared wide-eyed at her surroundings; he couldn't blame her, after all, they were in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Savannah had never been to Las Vegas before. He hadn't either, but then again he was not quite the greenhorn that Savannah was.

Grinning, CSI ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne tapped Savannah on the shoulder and said, "Better close your mouth before you catch flies."

Blushing, Savannah closed her mouth, which had been hanging open, and grinned at Calleigh. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Horatio said, carefully maneuvering through Las Vegas traffic as they worked their way through what the locals called The Strip. "I can understand your amazement; Las Vegas is a very colourful city."

"That is an understatement," Savannah said. "Mind you, that's probably what all the tourists say; wonder what the locals say."

Both Horatio and Calleigh nodded to that. Las Vegas was like Miami; lovely to look at in the eyes of the tourists but the locals knew there was a darker and seedier side to the glamorous city, one the city council tried to keep hidden to keep attracting tourists, who were pretty much the lifeblood of the city.

They would be staying at Caesars Palace for the four days they were in Las Vegas, which was also where the conference was being held. CSI Eric Delko was temporarily in charge of the lab and Horatio was confident he could manage, however he would not be surprised if Eric called him for some reason or another.

Savannah was Horatio's daughter by adoption, having originally come from Ladonia, Alabama just over a year ago in a desperate attempt to escape an abusive father and boyfriend. She had met Horatio on-line and become friendly with him through chat. When she had arrived in Miami, tired, frightened, and still 

reeling from years of abuse, he had kindly taken the then-nineteen-year-old girl in, given her shelter and offered her friendship, asking for nothing in return. Over time they had grown close, and Horatio had discovered Savannah's talent for portrait drawing and sketching, a talent that had resulted in her being hired as a forensic artist for the lab and Miami-Dade PD, the youngest to do so. That friendship had grown when Savannah had become entangled in a rather nasty mess involving a local drug dealer known as Clavo Sandoval. Their closeness had eventually resulted in Horatio legally adopting Savannah as his daughter, to which she had legally changed her name from _Savannah Mae Abott_ to _Savannah J__acqueline Caine_. With Horatio's love and support, Savannah had gone from being a shy, hesitant teenage girl with deep emotional scars to a beautiful, confident young woman with a promising career in the forensic field; he couldn't be more proud of her and she, in her turn, loved him as deeply as any daughter could.

When Savannah had found out about the conference and where it would be held, she had practically jumped with excitement, especially when Horatio had told her she was coming with him and Calleigh. Being the youngest forensic artist ever hired by the MDPD and working towards her Bachelor of Science degree, along with a degree in Criminology, Horatio rightly decided Savannah could use the exposure she was sure to experience at the conference. He was also planning to introduce her to Catherine Willows, his friend and contact in Las Vegas. Catherine Willows was also a CSI and she worked for the Las Vegas crime lab, a lab that was on par with the Miami and New York crime labs for cases solved.

Calleigh had come along because one of the lectures being given at the conference involved the latest in weapons technology and up-to-date information on identifying those weapons. Being a ballistics expert, Calleigh needed to keep up-to-date on that sort of information, especially in a city like Miami.

"Hey, Horatio, have you heard from Detective Mac Taylor?" Calleigh asked curiously.

"I have, and he, Detective Don Flack, and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes will be joining us," Horatio said.

"Who are they?" Savannah asked curiously.

"They are from New York and I've worked with them before on two separate occasions," Horatio explained. "Mac is a First Grade CSI, Sheldon is a medical examiner-turned CSI, and Don is a good homicide detective. We'll be meeting up with them later."

"I've met Mac before, when we were chasing after Henry Daris," Calleigh said. "I was impressed with him."

"And _that_ is impressive," Savannah said, her jaw dropping as she stared at the Caesars Palace. She had seen pictures of the place on the internet but to actually see it for real was completely different.

"It is indeed and look at the size of that crowd," Calleigh said, looking at the number of people dressed in suits and similar attire in the area around the hotel.

"This is going to be _so much fun_," Savannah said, grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The check-in took a bit of time due to the line-up but the small Miami group quickly made it through and were soon on their way to their individual rooms. Savannah and Horatio were sharing a room out of convenience and Calleigh was close by. While they were at the desk, Horatio inquired about his friends and was told they had checked in. He would give Mac a ring once they had settled in to their rooms.

One of the things Savannah did as soon as they were in their rooms was set up her laptop. She was worried about her friend, Lucy, her friend in Alabama, as she hadn't heard from Lucy in a while and she was worried about her; she had expressed this concern to Horatio, especially as Lucy's last e-mail had warned her about Andrew Jackson, an old boyfriend with a very nasty temper. The sheriff department in Ladonia suspected him of the murder of another young woman but it was not a charge they could prove.

"Anything?" Horatio asked, watching as Savannah navigated through her e-mail.

"Nada. Got a bad feeling at the back of my mind about this," she admitted. "I'm seriously considering the merits of calling Sheriff Donaling, seeing if maybe he knows what's going on."

"It wouldn't hurt," he said, knowing she would worry and fret over her friend until she knew the young woman was safe.

She nodded. "I'll give him a call when we get back to Miami, just in case I'm wrong about Lucy."

"Fair enough," he said. "Now, next question, are you hungry?"

She grinned at him as she shut her laptop down. "When am I not?" she quipped.

"In that case, shall I call Mac, see what he's up to and invite him to join us?"

"You'd better; I'm curious about this guy," Savannah said, heading for the washroom to tidy up and change into something a little less travel-worn.

Before he could do that, Horatio's cell rang and the caller i.d. told him it was Catherine Willows.

"Horatio," he said, answering the call.

"_Hey there, you make it in okay?_" came a familiar female voice. He smiled.

"I did, thank you," he replied. "We're at Caesars Palace and just about to go get something to eat."

"_Don't you dare think about trying to get something to eat at that place,_" Catherine said firmly. "_It'll cost you an arm and a leg and I know a place in Vegas that is wonderful without the price tag._"

"Sounds good."

"_Tell you what; I'm in the area, so how about if I meet you in the lobby?_"

"I can do that, but I should caution you, Catherine, I'm not alone. I'm with two others, one of whom you've met, and I know of three other officers who are staying here and one of whom I was just about to call and find out about dinner," he said.

"_Haul 'em down there; the more the merrier_," Catherine said easily. "_Besides, I'm not alone either. Night-shift will be starting in two hours and that means we're all awake by now. Should make for an interesting dinner._"

"That it should. Meet you in the lobby in ten?"

"_Make it fifteen, so I can scream at the other guys,_" she replied.

"Done." He hit the off button on his cell, punched another button, scrolled through his contact information and speed-dialled another number.

"_Taylor._"

"Mac, it's Horatio. We're at Caesars Palace and about to go get something to eat with someone I know in Vegas. Care to join us?"

"_Sounds good. When and where?_"

"In the lobby in fifteen."

"_I'll let Sheldon and Flack know._"

As Horatio hung up, Savannah emerged from the washroom in clean dress jeans, lilac polo shirt, and light-weight blazer. She had been wearing one of her more comfortable suits before but that was wrinkled and travel-worn due to the flight and trip from Miami to Las Vegas. She had also brushed her hair and re-touched her make-up.

He explained the plan to her and her face lit up. "Sounds like fun," she said. "Calleigh know yet?"

"just about to let her know," he said, reaching for the phone beside the bed which would connect him to Calleigh's room. She picked up at the second ring and he quickly explained the plan, to which she promised to meet them in the hallway so they could ride the elevator down together.

As he concluded the call and made use of the washroom himself, Savannah took the opportunity to check out the view from their room. Their room had two single beds, couch, a table and two chairs, washroom, and room-size coffee pot with complimentary coffee and tea packets. They also had a decent view of Las Vegas and Savannah took the opportunity to snap a few photos.

"Ready?" Horatio asked, joining her. He had changed his shirt, combed his hair, and removed the travel dust from his face.

"Let me grab my purse and I will be," she said, doing so. Her purse, as always, contained a small artist notebook and a tin containing a basic charcoal pencil set; she never left home without them, having learned early on that her artistic urge could strike anytime, anywhere. "Mind you, once we've eaten, I don't think I'm going to be up too late; I don't know about you but I'm wiped."

He smiled as he locked the door behind them and joined Calleigh at the elevator bays. "Same here, especially since we need to be up at a decent time tomorrow. Mind you, while we're here, I expect you to behave and learn as much as you can; we're here to learn, not play," he said. It was the humour in his eyes that took the sting out of his words.

"Awww, _Daaaaaaad,_" Savannah moaned comically. "You're no fun."

Calleigh grinned at the banter between them. "Picking on your dad again?" she teased. She too had cleaned up and changed her clothes a bit, looking a little less rumpled and a little more presentable.

"Who's picking on who?" Savannah shot back, grinning. "I wanna have fun and this old... goat... won't let me."

"Old goat?" Horatio repeated, his eyebrows going up at the gentle insult. Savannah just grinned at him and so did Calleigh. "I may be an old goat, young lady, but I am more than capable of handling you."

The banter continued as they entered the elevator and rode down to the lobby. Waiting for them were three men Horatio recognized as Detective Mac Taylor, Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, and Detective Don Flack. 

Flack's eyes shot up when he saw them approaching. He recognized Horatio, having met the lieutenant before, but didn't recognize the two blonde women on either side of him, both of whom he thought were attractive.

"Damn," he quipped. "How the heck do you do it?"

"Do what?" Horatio asked, puzzled but amused, seeing the grin on his face.

"You're not even in Vegas for twenty-four hours and you've already got two beautiful women with you!" Flack quipped, grinning as he watched the younger woman blush and the older woman smile brightly at him. "I _never_ get that lucky!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **thank you kindly for your patience and your reviews and I'm sorry I've been slow on the up-dates; it's a case of I've got so many things I want to include in this story that I'm trying to sort everything out and make sure my research is accurate. In terms of time frames, this takes place shortly after the Miami-NYC double episode involving Henry Daris. Does anyone remember if Sofia Curtis was part of the series at this point?

**Chapter 3**

Smiling in amusement, Horatio made introductions. "Good to see you again, Don," he said. "This is Calleigh Duquesne, my ballistics expert and CSI. Calleigh, Detective Don Flack, Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, and I believe you know Mac."

"Nice to see you again, Mac," Calleigh said, still grinning as she shook Flack's hand.

"Same here, Calleigh," Mac said, having met Calleigh before, when he'd been chasing after Henry Daris. He had worked with her when they had recovered the video from an injured security guard's vehicle.

"And this is my daughter, Savannah," Horatio said.

"Your _daughter_?" Flack yelped. "Ah nuts!"

"Nuts?" Sheldon asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, it means I can't get near her without worrying whether or not I'm going to get my ass shot off," Flack said, grinning.

"No, Don, you don't have to worry about Dad shooting you," Savannah said, smiling.

"Oh?"

"It's me you have to worry about; I may favour a Glock 21, but I'm comfortable with a rifle as well, and I'm licensed to carry," Savannah said, watching as Mac and Sheldon started grinning, even as Don's jaw dropped. "To make matters worse for you, Calleigh is the one who taught me how to use the Glock but I've been handling a rifle for several years." Flack glanced at Calleigh who beamed brightly at him. "They don't call her Bullet Girl for nothing."

"A woman who can shoot as good as she looks," Flack quipped. "I like!"

"What's this I hear about shooting?" came Catherine Willow's pleasant, husky voice as she joined the group. She was with a woman with dark hair and equally dark eyes, who studied the group with interest.

"Catherine, good to see you again," Horatio said. Once again he made the introductions. Catherine's eyebrows shot up at Savannah, as the last time she'd seen Horatio, when they'd been chasing after Gordon Daimler, he didn't have any children and now he had a daughter who was clearly in her early twenties? Not only that, but Horatio said she was a forensic artist? There was a story behind this, she knew it, and she was curious as heck about it.

Catherine introduced her companion as Sara Sidle, a fellow CSI, who had come with her in case they needed an extra vehicle for the group. She was also very curious about the other CSI's from a professional stand-point.

As for Savannah, her fingers were itching big time. Flack's pale blue eyes against his dark hair, Sheldon's dusky skin and the way the light played with him, Catherine with her looks, yeah, her fingers were itching and she had a feeling they would continue to itch for the rest of the evening. It was a good thing she had her sketch pad and pencils with her; they were going to get quite the work-out before the night was over. As for the color part, she could finish that when she got back to her room.

The group split up, with Horatio, Savannah, and Mac going with Catherine and Flack, Sheldon, and Calleigh going with Sara. They would be meeting the rest of the nightshift at a family restaurant they favoured for its good coffee, decent menu, and late hours of operation.

Both Catherine and Mac were curious about Savannah and it was Catherine who pounced on Horatio as they drove through Las Vegas.

"Okay, what's the story between you and Savannah?" she asked.

Horatio smiled as Savannah blushed. "Long story short, Savannah is from Ladonia, Alabama. She left there to escape a rather abusive father and boyfriend and I took her in. We more-or-less knew each other from having chatted on-line," he said.

"Miami sounded and looked so different from Ladonia, from anything I'd ever known, and I was desperate," Savannah said, picking up the story even as she watched the scenery go by. "I worked as a waitress and the local sheriff was always begging me to either press charges against David or Andrew or get out before I wound up dead."

"But you left instead," Mac guessed.

"That I did. I headed for Miami because of Horatio and because it was different than Ladonia; it was a place to start over, start fresh."

"What about your mother?" Catherine asked.

"In a mental hospital in Phoenix City, where she's been for the last five years," Savannah replied. "Uncle Todd, her brother, is looking after her and he offered to help me, to give me a place to stay, but when I said thanks but no thanks, he said he understood, gave me some cash, and wished me luck, promising me he would continue to look after Mama as best as he could."

"How did you wind up as a forensic artist?" Mac asked.

Both Horatio and Savannah grinned. "Now _that_ is a long story. It's a combination of boredom, Clavo Sandoval, and a victim with a mashed in face at the morgue," Savannah said.

"Plus natural talent," Horatio said. "It also lead to me adopting Savannah."

"Now _this_ I've got to hear," Catherine said, her curiosity growing.

At the restaurant there were several cars parked in the parking lot and inside, at a table that was about to grow larger, were four guys, one of whom had reading glasses perched on his nose and was working on the cross-word puzzle. The other two, one with a husky build and black hair and sporting a thick gold ring on one index finger, a dark-skinned man with curly black hair and dark eyes, and a younger one with spiky blonde hair, were debating sports.

Savannah's eyes nearly popped out when she spotted the younger man as he was dressed in a brightly-coloured shirt and his face was animated as he spoke. Once again her fingers started itching.

The hostess, once the situation was explained, grabbed another waitress and they quickly joined two more tables to the one the four men were already at.

Catherine introduced the four men as being Warrick Brown, whom Horatio and Calleigh had met previously, Nick Stokes, Gregg Sanders, and night-shift supervisor Gil Grissom.

Savannah found herself being seated between Horatio and Nick, across from Gregg, who promptly turned on the charm once he deuced that she was of similar age to him. Coffee was served, menus handed out, and the conversation started flowing. Having something in common but all with unique skills made for interesting talk. Half-way through, Captain Jim Brass joined them, having gotten word from Gil where they were.

It was during the conversation that Horatio noticed Savannah had gone quiet, her eyes watching something behind Gregg.

"Savannah?" Horatio asked quietly, watching as his daughter quietly fiddled with the stir stick in her coffee, her lovely dark blue eyes going darker and the corners of her mouth tightening as she watched something; something was up and it wasn't good.

"Trouble," she said just as quietly.

"What kind?"

"The kind I'm going to put a stop to," she said. "Excuse me."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said as she stood up and pushed her chair in.

"If I have my way, Dad, I'm about to do something you'll like," she said. And with that, she headed for the kitchen area of the restaurant, determination in her stride.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** thanks again for the kind reviews and your patience.

**Chapter 4**

"What is Savannah up to?" Calleigh asked Horatio curiously, having seen the younger woman get up and head for the service area of the restaurant.

"I'm not sure, but I have no doubt we'll find out," Horatio said.

"Oh, she's up to something, alright," Sheldon said, watching Savannah emerge from the back, her appearance changed. She now wore the restaurant uniform top and waitress apron, with her hair pulled back in a high pony-tail.

"Didn't she used to work at as a waitress before she was hired as a forensic artist?" Calleigh remembered.

"That she did. She was also a waitress in Ladonia for a few years before she headed here," Horatio confirmed.

"Okay," Nick said, now as curious as the rest of the group.

As Savannah worked her way across the restaurant floor, snagging a full coffee carafe from the coffee machine, someone decided to put the jukebox on. She listened for a moment and then nodded in approval; Brooks and Dunn's _Honky Tonk Truth_, a favourite of hers. She began to sing along.

"_I'm the life of the party, baby, since you said good-bye  
Just ask old Joe, he knows I'm here every night  
And that good old boy in the mirror looking around for you  
It ain't me  
And that's the honky tonk truth_."

Just moments before, she had been sitting at a table surrounded by crime scene investigators and cops from New York City, Las Vegas, and Miami, discussing forensics and everything that went with it. Then she had spotted something that had caused her normally-laid-back temper to rise. Over at one of the other tables sat a group of young men, probably in their late teens to early twenties, who were drinking beer and laughing, generally having a good time. That was fine, except one of the guys had slapped two waitress' behinds twice in the past ten minutes. Being a former waitress herself there was a lot of things she was willing to put up with, but guys sexually harassing and assaulting waitresses, that was a major no-no. A certain sheriff in Ladonia had once taught her how to put a stop to that and make sure it stayed stopped. Those were lessons well learned and never forgotten.

Once she had spotted the problem she had gotten up and headed for the back where she had confronted one of the waitresses that had just been slapped and found out more about what was going on. The waitress, a girl by the name of Tracy, had been glad for a sympathetic and understanding ear and had gladly told her what was going on. Two other waitresses, Janet and Carrie, had joined in and the girls had admitted the jerk, Billy, was a regular and he constantly went after the girls and acted like it was all a big joke. They had complained repeatedly to their manager but Billy always showed up when their manager wasn't there. Plus, they were afraid of getting fired if Billy complained. It was then that Savannah offered to help put a stop to Billy's 'games' if they were willing to play along. The girls had eagerly agreed to help and had gotten her a spare uniform top, waitress apron complete with notepad and pen, and ponytail holder for her to pull her hair back and she was one of them, a waitress who had just gotten on shift.

"_That's the honky tonk truth cross my broken heart  
I put my right hand here on this beer And swear on this bar  
I ain't thinking, I ain't drinking, I ain't crying  
I ain't moaning the blues  
I wouldn't lie to you  
Now that's the honky tonk truth_."

She made her rounds around the room, finding herself easily falling into a comfortable routine and pattern. It was like putting on an old, well-worn pair of jeans, she thought absently. She spent about five minutes doing coffee refills and making chit-chat with the customers before making her way over to her table while bobbing absently to the next song playing on the jukebox; Collin Raye's _On The Verge_.

"_Well they shouldn't have played that good  
I got carried away and let the music  
__Go to my head  
_

_Well she shouldn't have worn that dress  
The way it curled around when she was spinning  
Just killed me dead  
_

_My heart began to tell my body and my soul  
That it had gotten in the mood to lose control  
_

_Oh no, when did neon lights turn into moonglow  
When did that jukebox turn into a rainbow  
I'm about to give into this urge  
One more slow dance with her arms around me  
One more long glance and nothing will slow down me  
I got no chance,  
If I'm not in love I'm on the verge._"

"Coffee refills anyone?" she asked cheerfully.

Nearly everyone held up their cups and she neatly refilled them.

"What's going on, Savannah?" Gregg asked.

"Jackass two tables over," she said. "Has a really nasty habit of grabbing what he shouldn't when the girls go by."

"Have the girls complained?" Nick asked.

"Repeatedly to their manager but it hasn't done any good because he's never here when Jackass shows up," Savannah replied as she filled his cup. "The girls are afraid of being fired because of him, especially if they attempt to defend themselves."

"And I take it you're going to do something about it?" Calleigh asked.

"You got that right," Savannah said, an icy look in her eyes.

"Need anything?" Horatio asked.

"Just a badge flash if necessary."

"When?" Brass asked, relishing the prospect of playing Mr. Big Meany before his shift had even officially started.

"Believe me when I say you'll know."

"I'm looking forward to this," Flack said, grinning broadly.

"And the best part is, you don't have to do a damn thing," Savannah said, beaming brightly.

She made her way to the back, being sure to stop at the trouble-maker's table for a coffee refill. Sure enough, he grabbed her behind. She jumped, glared at him, and he just grinned at her.

"What's up, sugar?" Billy asked. "Bit jumpy, are we?"

"My name isn't sugar, but if that's what you need more of, I can get some for you," she replied easily, filling one of the cups pushed her way and nodding in reply to the thanks offered by the guy whose cup she had just filled.

Billy grinned. "I like you. How about you ditch your apron and come play with me instead?"

"How about you keep your hands to yourself and be a gentleman instead of a jerk?" she shot back. With that she turned her back on him and made to head towards the back to fill a request for a slice of pie by one of the customers, but not before she nearly spilled her carafe when he pinched her behind.

_Fine, _she thought as she continued making her way towards the back. _I was gonna play nice but now I'm gonna play dirty._ She got the pie and filled a jug with ice water. At the same time, the Backstreet Boys began to do their popular number, _Everybody (Backstreet's Back)._ As they sang, she moved to the beat, pie and jug in hand.

"_Everybody, yeah  
Rock your body, yeah  
Everybody, yeah  
Rock your body right  
Backstreet's back, alright  
_

_Hey, yeah  
Oh my God, we're back again  
Brothers, sisters,  
everybody sing  
Gonna bring the flavour  
Show you how  
Gotta question for you  
__Better answer now, yeah._"

She served the gentleman who had requested the pie, accepted his thanks, and headed towards someone else, passing by Billy's table. Sure enough he went after her again. This time she was ready.

Her foot shot out, caught his chair and yanked, sending him to the floor with a resounding crash. At the same time, she threw the jug of ice water all over him. The yell he let out was a combination of surprise from the fall and shock from the ice water.

Slamming the empty jug on the table, she planted her hands on her hips and leaned over slightly, glaring at the jerk, who was now coughing and sputtering, as the water had caught him square in the face. His buddies looked on in shock, two of them struggling not to laugh. Ignoring the whoops, laughs, and cheers from the restaurant waitresses and witnesses, she said coldly, "We need to talk, _sugar_."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Many, many appologies for the delay and short chapter. Life has been rather hectic and crazy as of late. Between my job, family, and preping to return to school in September, I haven't had the time to write as often as I'd like. In the mean time, thanks again for your patience, kind reviews, and optimism.

**Chapter 5**

Billy stared up in shock at the angry blonde who had her hands on her hips and was glaring at him. Just seconds before, she had sent his chair backwards and dumped a pitcher of ice cold water on him in response to him slapping her tush.

Maybe he'd pushed the game too far?

"You've been warned repeatedly to keep your hands to yourself," she hissed. "This is a restaurant, not a whore house! These girls are busting their butts off as it is; the last thing they need is a pig like you!" Then she turned her attention to his buddies. "And you, you bunch of adolescent morons, you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"But we didn't do anything!" Jake protested.

"Exactly!" she shot back. "You didn't do anything to stop him, so in my book, you're just as bad as him!" Then she turned her attention back to him. "As for you, mister, I would strongly advise that you get your sorry ass up off the floor, pay your bill, and get the hell out of here. _And_ you _will_ leave the waitress a twenty dollar tip, _each!_" she finished off, glaring at Jake and Tom. "Three waitresses, three assholes, twenty bucks each! Cough 'em up!"

"You can't do this!" Billy whined as he got up from the floor.

"You want to continue pushing your luck? Go for it!" the blonde snapped. She jerked her thumb towards a rather large group of men and women who were watching the proceedings with interest. "I'm sure _they_ would be _more_ than happy to help you!"

Billy felt like whimpering in humiliation because, as if on cue, every grinning and smiling member of the table raised a badge; cops, all of them, or so he thought.

"Can we help?" came a cheerful male voice. Billy, Jake, and Tom groaned while the blonde smiled brightly. Three Vegas PD cops in uniform stood nearby, apparently having just come in and seen what was going on and were now watching what was going on with a great deal of interest, along with every other patron in the restaurant.

"By all means," the blonde said brightly. She turned back to Billy and his buddies and said, "How about it boys? Cough up and get out."

"I'll get you for this," Billy hissed angrily as he reached for his wallet. "I'll make sure you get fired!"

"You won't get me for diddly-squat, dumbass; I don't work here," she shot back. "See the guy with red hair? He's a lieutenant with the Miami-Dade police. He's also my _father._ You want to push it?" she continued, even as he felt the blood drain from his face as he spotted the man, who was studying him the way a scientist might study a bug under a microscope. "Go for it." _The daughter of a cop? Crap!_ "Get out and stay out."

Savannah watched, arms folded across her chest, glaring, as Billy and his friends paid their bill and the requested 'tip' and left, looking like dogs with their tails between their legs. Then she headed back towards the back to get out of her 'uniform' and rejoin her table; she was starved. Once in the back, 

however, she was promptly tackled by the girls who were jumping up and down with excitement and joy.

"That was so cool!" Tracey said excitedly. "I loved the way you nailed him with the water!"

"Where did you learn that?" Janet asked.

Savannah shrugged. "Like I said, I used to work in a restaurant that was frequented by the local sheriff. He taught me a few things. And I wasn't kidding when I said my dad is a cop; he's one of the best in Miami."

"Like father, like daughter," Carrie quipped.

Back at the table, Horatio smiled at his daughter while the others grinned and smiled at her. Blushing under the obvious praise, she swallowed her coffee and waited for their dinner to be delivered.

"Well done," Horatio said quietly to her.

She shrugged. "Did what I had to do."

The three Vegas cops came over and congratulated Savannah on her handling of Billy, introducing themselves as McAfee, Grey, and Douglas. Again she blushed and quickly changed the topic by introducing her father and companions and the Vegas cops wound up joining their table. Fortunately the topic turned away from her and on to policing in three different states, something she found fascinating. Then again, that was the main reason she'd come to the conference in the first place; to learn as much as she could about policing and forensic sciences.

Nearly an hour and a half later, everyone sated and full, the bill arrived. Grissom's eyebrows shot up and then he started grinning.

"What gives, Gris?" Nick asked, seeing the look on his supervisor's face.

"Paid In Full," Grissom said, reading the words on the bill.

"Same here," one of the Vegas cops said, holding up his own bill.

"That's right," Tracey said, coming up to the table. "We spoke to our boss, told him what Savannah had done, what you all had done for us, and he said that as far as he was concerned, the bills were paid in full."

"I'm not objecting to that!" Greg quipped.

Tracey grinned. "He said he believed us when we told him about Jerk-face but because Jerk-face never showed up when he was here, he couldn't do anything to help us. But now that he's been dealt with, hopefully permanently, then we can do our jobs without worrying him showing up."

"Fingers crossed," Savannah said.

"If he is stupid enough to show up again, don't hesitate to call us," Grey said, handing Tracey his card. "We'll nail him again, quite happily."

Tracey cheerfully took the card and promised to put it right beside the phone.

Sadly, the gathering had to end at some point and it did, with Sara and Catherine dropping their Miami and New York counterparts off at their hotel before heading for their shift.

Once in their room, Savannah dove for her pastels and began finishing her sketches that she had compiled over dinner.

"Nice work, as always," Horatio said, studying her drawings, watching as she touched up the sketches with light touches of color.

"Thank you, as always," she said.

Later that night, Savannah dreamed...

"_Lucy! Lucy, where are you?" she begged, running through the hallways of the Caesars Palace. There were so many rooms, way too many rooms. She had to find her friend before it was too late. Why, she didn't know, but she just knew she had to find Lucy._

"_Savannah," a soft voice whispered, calling her._

"_Lucy?" Savannah asked, halting, looking around for the voice._

"_I don't have a lot of time, 'Vannah, but you need to know," Lucy whispered from a door that was glowing faintly at the end of the hallway._

"_Know what? " Savannah asked, going to the door. Lucy stood there, fabric flowing around her, surrounded by a bright light, so bright it hurt to look directly at it._

"_Be brave; he's coming for you and he will try and hurt those you care about," Lucy whispered. "Be brave and be careful."_

"_Lucy? Lucy, wait, I don't understand!" Savannah cried, trying to reach her friend and finding herself unable to do so._

"_Good-bye," Lucy whispered. "And good luck."_

"_Lucy!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I appologize beyond belief for the extreme delay in chapter up-date. Life has gotten very hectic for me and I haven't had much time to write. Plus, I was stumped on how to knock out a full-grown man such as Horatio. Don't worry, he'll be okay, more or less...

**Chapter 6**

Something was wrong. The room was spinning and he felt very light-headed.

_What the hell had been in that coffee?_ Horatio wondered as he staggered towards the bed, trying to reach his cell or the room phone and call for help. He managed to grab the phone but couldn't remember what number he was supposed to call. Just moments earlier, he had received a supposedly complimentary pot of coffee from the hotel and, since he had a bit of time to kill before the next conference, he had enjoyed the coffee while catching up on some work on his laptop. Now he was fighting dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, and a strong sense that something was very, very wrong.

_This is not right; I've been drugged,_ he thought hazily.

He tried to find his cell but, for the life of him, couldn't remember where he'd put it. In his confusion and dizziness, he accidently knocked his coffee cup off the table, where it rolled across the floor and under a chair, spilling coffee all over the floor.

Then he heard a knock at the door. Stumbling and staggering, he managed to get to the door and get it open, hoping, praying for help.

"_You sonovabitch_," he whispered, staring at the person who had been on the other side of the door.

And the darkness swept over him.

_Three hours later:_

"Dad?" Savannah called as she entered the hotel room. She was a bit concerned about her father as he had not been answering his cell and Calleigh, Mac, Flack, and Sheldon hadn't seen him since earlier that afternoon. That wasn't like him, especially since she knew there was at least one conference he had been particularly keen on attending but according to a few people Savannah had spoken to, he hadn't been seen there at all.

She couldn't shake the niggling feeling that something was wrong. "Dad?" she called again. No answer. It was then that she noticed his cell was still on the room table, next to a large silver urn that she was sure hadn't been in the room that morning. His laptop was open on the table but it looked like it hadn't been touched in a bit as the screen-saver was on. _Ooookaaay, _she thought. _That's not like Dad at all._

She got out her cell and punched Calleigh's speed-dial number. The ballistics expert answered after the second ring.

"Calleigh, it's Savannah. Could you come to our room right away? Dad's not here and I'm starting to think something is very wrong," she said.

"_I'll be there right away,_" Calleigh said without hesitation.

As she closed her cell, something caught her attention and Savannah got down on her knees, having spotted what looked like spilled coffee on the floor, coffee someone had tried to clean up and done a lousy job of it.

_What the hell? _Looking under a chair, she spotted the familiar white hotel coffee cup lying on its side with coffee still in it. She went to reach for it but then froze as a thought occurred to her.

_Wait a minute; spilled coffee, laptop on, cell phone still in the room, no major sign of a struggle, that is, if I'm seeing everything..._

She left the coffee cup where it was and stood up carefully, realizing she could very well be standing in the middle of a crime scene. _My dad's crime scene; what a morbid thought,_ she thought wryly and with just a hint of panic.

Spotting a nearby chair, she climbed on it on impulse, just as someone knocked at the door. "Door's open!" she called, scanning the floor on the off chance that she might spot something out of place. The door opened just as she spotted something near the door. It was Calleigh. "Hold it!" she yelped. "Don't move!"

"Savannah, what's wrong?" Calleigh demanded, confused as hell.

"I'm seeing what looks like drag marks or something on the carpet towards the door," she admitted.

"Drag marks?" Calleigh asked, still confused.

"Dad's laptop is still on, his cell is on the bedside table, I spotted what looked like an empty coffee cup under the chair and that urn wasn't here this morning," Savannah explained.

"Horatio never goes anywhere without his cell," Calleigh said, concern etching his face.

"And he sure as hell wouldn't leave a coffee cup under a chair," Savannah said.

"You got that right," Calleigh said, studying the carpet near the door. "You can see drag-marks from there?" she asked. Savannah nodded. "Be right back." She vanished for a moment then returned with her camera, a good quality digital camera, which she tossed to Savannah. "You know what to do."

Savannah carefully snapped a few photos while Calleigh called Mac and alerted him to the situation. She then placed a call to Gil Grissom, who apparently promised to be there right away, field kit in hand.

"Now what do I do?" Savannah asked.

"Step down carefully, try to avoid the door area, and come out of the room," Calleigh instructed. "We may have a possible crime scene."

Savannah nodded and did as instructed. Outside of the room she gave Calleigh her camera back and leaned against the wall opposite of the room. "I don't like this, Callie, I don't like this at all," she admitted, worrying the nail on her thumb.

"I don't like it either," Calleigh admitted. "Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this quickly."

_The quicker, the better,_ Savannah thought grimly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Gil Grissom and Greg Sanders arrived promptly and, once the situation had been explained, began to work the room. The silent but general understanding was that this was Las Vegas, thus it was the Las Vegas CSI's turf. In the mean time, Mac alerted Flack and Sheldon of the situation and they, including Calleigh, went hunting.

For Mac, that meant the security cameras. For Flack and Calleigh, that meant speaking to the front desk and hotel security, and Sheldon began speaking to everyone else, including the valets. Savannah remained behind to answer any questions Grissom might have for her.

"When was the last time you saw Horatio?" Grissom asked, studying the laptop.

"About four hours ago. He was supposed to attend a conference in an hour and said he was going to go back to the room and work on some work before going to the conference," Savannah said. "I went to about two conferences and we were supposed to meet up for lunch an hour ago."

"Did you try calling him?" Grissom asked.

"Repeatedly," Savannah said. "He's pretty good with appointments and just as good about answering his cell."

Grissom nodded.

"Looks like you're not the only one who's tried calling him," Gregg said, having found Horatio's cell. "Someone named Wolfe called twice, and so has someone named Delko. No answer to either, messages left."

"Ryan Wolfe and Eric Delko, CSI's who work with my Dad," Savannah explained.

"Are these Horatio's?" Grissom asked, holding up a familiar pair of dark sunglasses.

Savannah nodded. "Dad's Ray Bans. He never leaves without them, especially if he's going outside. They're kinda like his trademark; that and his red hair."

Then a man Savannah recognized as being CSI Nick Stokes exited the elevator and joined them, case in hand. "I hear we have a possibly missing officer," he said to Grissom.

"Yes, it seems Horatio Caine has disappeared under rather unusual circumstances," Grissom said.

Nick nodded. He looked at Savannah and asked gently, "How are you holding up?"

She smiled tiredly. "I'll be okay once we know what happened to Dad."

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"You can take this cup and the contents back to the lab and find out what's in them," Grissom said, holding up the coffee cup that Savannah had spotted earlier.

"Not only is Dad the head of the Miami-Dade crime lab, he's also a former NYPD officer, veteran of the Homicide department, and a former member of the Miami bomb squad," Savannah said. "He's also a damn good shot with his gun, when he has it on him, that is."

"So not a man that lets someone get the drop on him very easily," Nick said as he took care of the coffee cup and its contents.

"No. Between him and Calleigh, I've learned how to shoot and get my weapon licence."

"What weapon do you favour?" Gregg asked curiously.

"A .45 caliber Glock 30," she said. "Lightweight, more compact than a Glock 21, but similar enough in terms of caliber and power."

"Good choice," Nick said. "Do you have it with you?"

"No; I left it at home, just like Dad did with his gun, 'cause neither of us thought we'd need them on this trip. Now I'm starting to wonder if we should have brought our guns with us," Savannah said sourly.

"What gun does your dad use?" Gregg asked.

"He favours a SIG-Sauer P226 these days but he did use a Beretta Cougar for a while," Savannah admitted. "I can use them if I have to, but I'm not a cop, just a forensic artist."

"Certified?" Grissom asked.

"Working on it."

"Good; we don't have enough of them as it is," Grissom said, "especially the really good ones."

"Oh yeah," Gregg said, having just found Savannah's sketch pad and was flipping through it with an appreciative and admiring eye.

In the security video monitor room, Mac was working with a video operator and studying the video cameras in the areas of the floor of Horatio and Savannah's room. The video time stamp was approximately three and a half hours ago when Mac spotted something unusual; a dark-haired man wearing a suit knocking on the room door. The door opened a moment later, Horatio Caine all but fell into the man's arms. The man then shut the door and dragged Horatio down the hallway, arm across Horatio's back and one of Horatio's arms across his shoulders; a buddy carrying his rather drunk friend.

"Can you follow them?" Mac asked the operator, a friendly college student working part-time at the hotel in the security department.

The operator nodded and the monitor in front of them changed as they followed Horatio and the unknown man down the hall to the elevator, up one floor, down the hall to the service elevator, where a laundry cart waited. The unknown man unceremoniously dumped Horatio into the laundry cart, covered him up, changed his suit to that of a hotel worker, and took his 'laundry' down to the service area in the basement of the hotel. Once there, he loaded his 'laundry' on to the back of a truck, secured it, covered it with a large tarp, and left. Before he did, however, he looked directly at one camera and flipped the bird, a nasty grin on his face.

"So he knew he was being watched," Mac said. "He wants us to know who he is."

"I'll print that up for you," the operator volunteered.

"Do so. Can you get a plate number as well?"

The operator nodded. It took a bit of work and a bit of searching, but they found it.

"Why would he want to kidnap a cop?" the operator wondered out-loud as he handed Mac the licence plate number. "Especially here?"

"More specifically, why that particular cop?" Mac asked. "Copy those videos and splice them together for me, would you?"

"Yes sir," the operator said. "I hope you find the cop in time."

"So do I," Mac said. "So do I."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

By earlier agreement, the group met in Calleigh's room.

"Okay, what do we have?" Calleigh asked.

"First off, Horatio was definitely kidnapped," Mac said, holding up a disk. "Cameras found and followed him," he continued, popping the disk in the room's DVD player and pressing "play".

The assembled group, Grissom, Gregg, Nick, Calleigh, Savannah, Sheldon, Flack, and Mac, watched the dvd in grim silence. When the video came to the part of the man flipping the bird, Mac froze the video.

"Whoever he is, he made no effort to hide himself," Mac said.

All eyes suddenly snapped towards Savannah as she made a strangled sound, her pretty face having gone deathly white as she stared at the image on the t.v. screen. Suddenly she dashed towards the bathroom and moments later the sound of someone throwing up could be heard.

Calleigh followed and found Savannah heaving over the bathroom sink, breathing hard.

"Savannah?" Calleigh asked gently as she took a face cloth and used the shower to wet it. Savannah looked at her with terror in her eyes. "You know him, don't you?" The younger girl nodded, accepting the cloth. "Who is he?"

"_Andrew Jackson_," Savannah whispered harshly.

Calleigh started. "Are you sure?" she asked, recognizing the name.

Savannah nodded. "There are just some things you don't forget. Lucy warned me he was searching for me but I never thought... never thought he'd go after Dad... thought he'd go straight for me. I thought I was _safe._"

"You are," Calleigh said gently.

"But Dad isn't," Savannah pointed out.

Someone, Sheldon, knocked on the bathroom door frame. "Everyone okay here?" Savannah nodded, reaching for the bottle of mouthwash that was on the counter and using to rinse her mouth out. "What happened?"

"A rather violent reaction to the guy on the screen," Calleigh said, "but understandable, given the circumstances."

She left the bathroom with Sheldon and, having made a fresh pot of coffee, poured some for Savannah. "The man on the screen is an abusive bastard by the name of Andrew Jackson. He's Savannah's ex-boyfriend and the main reason she left Ladonia, Alabama in the first place, that and her birth father, who was also an abusive SOB," she explained, adding cream and sugar to the coffee. "When Savannah first came to Miami, Horatio had me photograph her and document her injuries in case she ever decided to press charges against Andrew. She chose not to but Horatio kept the file anyway."

"How bad were the injuries?" Sheldon asked.

"Bad; she had been hit with a leather belt a few times prior to that and apparently she'd had a nasty argument with her father the day before she left," Calleigh said. "I can get the file for you, if you want." Sheldon shook his head, declining. He had a pretty good idea, having seen a number of victims of abuse before, most of them on his table. Calleigh continued. "When Savannah first came to Miami, she was shy, hurting, insecure, and afraid. She was afraid of her own shadow, afraid of being hurt or hit again, what you would expect from any victim of abuse, especially one who's been a victim as long as she has. Who you see now is a result of Horatio's love and support."

"Her artistic talent is incredible," Gregg said, holding up Savannah's drawing pad, to which he passed around the room. When the others saw the sketches of themselves, the general census was that Savannah did, indeed, have talent.

"Dad helped me with it," Savannah said, finally coming out of the bathroom, a measure of her dignity restored. "He discovered it when I was bored one day and fostered it." She accepted the coffee Calleigh offered her and took a swallow. "Andrew... Andrew is not a nice man. There are rumours flying around in Ladonia that the last girlfriend who tried to press charges against him for assault wound up in a creek a week later, dead. Unfortunately there was not enough evidence to honestly say it was because of Andrew."

"How did you hook up with him?" Flack asked.

Savannah smiled wryly. "I'm still trying to figure that one out, but the best I can figure is because of my real father, who was a bastard himself, that kind of relationship was all I've ever known and by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. Horatio offered me a way out and I took it even though he didn't realize he was offering me a way out at the time."

"How did Andrew know about your dad? How did he know where you'd be and when?" Mac asked.

"I'm not sure. The only other person I told, outside of those I trusted, was a letter to my mom about a month ago," Savannah said. "I honestly don't think she would have told Andrew, not willingly, at least."

"Are you sure?" Grissom asked.

Savannah smiled tightly. "Mama is in a mental hospital in Phoenix City where she's been for several years. She's locked inside her mind and the doctors there honestly didn't think she'd ever speak again, so unless Andrew managed to get her out of her shell... or find the letter..."

"I think we'd better contact the mental hospital, make sure Andrew hasn't paid a visit," Nick said.

"Could he afford to do something like this, though?" Gregg asked. "This ain't no cheap trick."

"He could; his family is very well off," Savannah said. "Rumour has it that's how he got the original assault charge dropped; money."

"And if he's got money, he's got means," Flack said.

"And means can equal motive," Mac said.

"Which means if he's true to character, I'll be hearing from him soon," Savannah said. "He's a braggart and once he has what he wants, he lets the whole world know about it. He craves the spotlight."

"So let's give it to him," Calleigh said, a dark look coming across her face, "and turn it on full-blast; see how he likes the heat."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Once the identity of Horatio's kidnapper had been confirmed, Grissom called Brass and had an APB (All-Points Bulletin) put out on Andrew Jackson, as well as the truck, licence plate, and missing officer. He also called Warrick Brown to have the licence plate run through DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and try and trace the truck.

Flack and Calleigh had spoken to the clerks at the front desk, one of whom had admitted ad "distinguished-looking flirt of a guy' had asked about Horatio and Savannah, claiming he was a friend of theirs. He hadn't been given their room number but had been given their room phone number instead. Flack and Calleigh had looked at the phone number and deuced it would not have been hard to figure out which room the Caine's were staying in.

That was better than Sheldon, who hadn't turned up anything, other than a few people wondering where the lieutenant was.

The cup and the contents of the coffee urn went straight to the lab with Nick promising to ride Hodge's backside about getting results asap.

Grissom and Gregg's analysis of the Caine's room concluded that at some point Horatio had been stumbling around the room before going to the door. It was at the door he collapsed and was dragged out of the room.

In the mean time, Savannah would get in touch with Banner Behavioural Health Hospital in Phoenix City to find out about the status of her mother and whether or not Andrew Jackson had visited recently or not. She would also get in touch with her Uncle Tom and apprise him of the situation.

Having spoken to the sheriff of Ladonia before and, to quote Calleigh, charmed the elderly man's socks off, Calleigh would contact Sheriff Donaling and find out about Andrew Jackson's moves, past and present. At Savannah's request, she would also enquire about Lucy Larcombe.

Savannah did not tell them about her dream or her worries that Lucy might be dead, quite possibly at Andrew's hands; it was too early to tell. For now, it was a case of stick to the facts and stick to what they knew. The most important thing they could do was find Andrew; find Andrew and they would find Horatio.

Calleigh got in touch with Sheriff Donaling and promptly poured on her southern charm, with Flack grinning in amusement and Mac watching, an eyebrow raised in interest.

"Hi Sheriff, it's Calleigh Duquesne, from Miami-Dade PD. I called about this time last year in regards to Savannah Abbot," she chirped cheerfully.

Donaling chuckled in amusement. "_Hello Calleigh. It's been a while but yes, I remember you. How is Savannah doing?_"

"She's doing really good these days," Calleigh said. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to ask some questions about Andrew Jackson again."

"_That little pissant? What about him?_"

"He's been spotted in Las Vegas and we have video evidence that says he kidnapped and possibly drugged Savannah's father, Horatio Caine."

"_Sonovabitch._"

"I'm assuming that's the polite version. We were wondering if you might know what, to quote you, the little pissant, has been up to as of late," Calleigh said. "Any information you can send us would be greatly appreciated and might help us find Horatio that much faster."

"_I will certainly do my best; you got a number or an e-mail I can send the information to?_"

Calleigh gave him Grissom's e-mail address, explaining who he was and then asked about Lucy Larcombe, explaining that the girl had been a friend of Savannah's and that she had not been heard from in several days; her last e-mail had been a warning about Andrew Jackson.

Sheriff Donaling sighed heavily. "_I can tell you where she is and I can also tell you you're not going to like it._"

"Oh no."

"_Lucy was found dead in the local creek about two days ago, apparently strangled. Coroner thinks she may have been there for about four days. She went to a movie with some friends, went to the washroom, and was never seen alive again,_" he reported. "_You said Lucy and Savannah were friends?_"

"Yes; from what I understand, Lucy helped Savannah escape, cut and dyed her hair, helped her purchase a plane and bus ticket so her dad and Andrew wouldn't find out, that sort of thing," Calleigh said. "From what Savannah tells me, Lucy knew about Andrew and didn't like him in the slightest, which is why she did as much as she could to help Savannah."

"_And if Andrew figured out that Lucy helped Savannah, he would not take too kindly to that,_" Sheriff Donaling said grimly. "_Might even go as far as killing her as punishment or retribution._"

"And with Lucy being as loyal as she was, she would not have given up Savannah's new location without a fight."

"_Exactly._"

"Okay, thank you, Sheriff. I'll let Savannah know about Lucy," Calleigh said heavily.

"_And I'll send you everything I have on Andrew Jackson, including the case file on Lucy._"

"Appreciate it." Calleigh hung up. She sighed heavily and looked at Flack and Mac. "I hate doing this."

"Never gets any easier," Flack said sympathetically, having figured out what was going on from Calleigh's end of the conversation.

Savannah, who had been combing through her on-line contact book for Uncle Tom's number, as well as the Banner Behavioural Health Hospital number, looked up when Calleigh came into her view and sat down beside her. The look on Calleigh's face had Savannah's radar going up.

"Callie, what's wrong?" Savannah asked, concerned.

Calleigh sighed heavily. "I just spoke to Sheriff Donaling and I asked him about Lucy. You're not gonna like this."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Andrew watched as his captive groaned quietly but didn't wake up. He was told by the guy who had sold him the roofies that his target would be looped for a few hours and may or may not remember what had happened.

So far things were working out the way he'd planned. Flash some cash here and there, sweet-talk a few people, some research on the Net, it was amazing what one could do when one had the means and the motivation to do what needed to be done. Mind you, there was one or two things he'd had to do that had been a bit distasteful, but it had to be done.

The red-haired man groaned softly again, straining against the ties that held him to the chair, then mumbled something that sounded like "Mary". Huh. Whatever. Andrew turned his back to him and began to work on the second phase of his plan.

Horatio couldn't move. He couldn't think clearly and he seemed unable to be able to talk coherently. He was still drugged; he had to be.

"_Don't fight it, sweetheart; it'll wear off in its own time,_" a soft, husky voice advised him.

He looked up, or rather, tried to. He seemed to be in a room of some kind, one he didn't recognize. "Who are you?" he asked the woman sitting on the bed beside him.

The dark blonde woman smiled softly and said, "_I'm Mary Abbot, Savannah's mother._"

"Mary..."

She nodded and continued smiling. She wasn't supposed to be here; she was supposed to be in Phoenix City, in Alabama, not here, in Las Vegas. Still...

Horatio studied her. Shoulder-length wavy dark blonde hair, dark blue eyes, facial shape similar to Savannah's, she was an attractive woman and Horatio could clearly see his daughter in her. She wore a sleeveless white summer dress whose hem brushed her pretty bare feet. It seemed impossible, but Horatio thought she had a glow about her.

As if hearing his thoughts, she smiled wider and said, "_Savannah carried the best of me; I'm so proud of her._"

"Tried to protect her," he mumbled apologetically.

"_I know, sweetheart, I know,_" Mary soothed, "_but you can't protect our daughter all the time. Besides, as reluctant as I am to admit this, this may be one situation where she is going to have to face the past._"

"Help her..."

Mary smiled. "_She has plenty of help, but she will need you to remind her about the secret of strength, and that you love her, no matter what happens._"

"I do."

"_I know you do, sweetheart, and that's what makes this so much easier for me; I know our daughter is loved and that she's happy and safe._"

"I don't understand..."

"_You will, I promise, and when Savannah finds out, she's going to need you more than ever._"

"Promise."

Mary nodded. "_I believe you. Promise me one thing, though._"

"'kay."

"_Promise me you'll let Savannah know how proud I was of her and how much I loved her. She did the right thing by leaving and I am so very, very proud of her._"

"Promise," he mumbled.

"_Thank you. Now, you rest, and like I said, the drug will wear off faster._ _Gather what strength you can because when the time comes, you're going to need all the strength you can get._"

"Mary..."

"_Rest_," Mary coaxed, reaching out and gently touching his face. "_Rest..._"

And he rested.

Andrew glared at Horatio's limp form. _Finally..._ the dumb prick shut up. He'd been mumbling nonsense for the last few minutes to the point it was starting to irritate him and he had seriously started considering the merits of gagging the stupid cop.

He hated noise like that. Whiners, whimperers, they all equalled the same thing; losers. And if it was one thing about Andrew Jackson that was tried, tested, and true, was that he had zero tolerance for losers.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: So very, very sorry on the extreme delay on the up-dates but I will try and finish this story in a timely fashion now that my muse is starting to come back. Thanks again for your patience and your reviews.

**Chapter 11**

Savannah watched the sky as she was driven to the Las Vegas Crime Lab, tears slowly rolling down her face. Calleigh had just told her that Lucy, her best friend, was dead, more than likely murdered by Andrew.

Lucy had helped Savannah escape her abusive ex-boyfriend, going as far as helping her cut and dye her hair and even lying to certain people about her whereabouts, all to give her time to get to Miami. That good deed and support of friendship had cost Lucy more than she would have ever imagined; it had cost her her life.

She was situated in an office with a computer with an internet connection and her art supplies on hand. An officer stood outside the door. He seemed nice and said his name was Jason Barker. They exchanged pleasantries and she learned he'd been with the LVPD for about two years and came from a family of cops. If she hadn't been grieving for her friend, she would have thought him cute, especially with his whiskey-brown eyes and rich blonde hair that he kept in a side part.

Her cell rang; she grabbed it. It was her uncle in Phoenix, Alabama, and he had bad news.

"I don't know how to tell you this, kiddo, but your Mom was murdered," Uncle Todd said heavily. "Nurses found her in bed and thought she was asleep until they checked her pulse. An autopsy ruled she'd been suffocated. I wish I could have told you sooner, but I lost your cell number and it wasn't until the Ladonia sheriff contacted me and gave me the info that I'm able to tell you now."

Savannah whimpered. "Could you, could you have the Phoenix police forward the case to the Las Vegas police? Sheriff Donaling thinks my ex-boyfriend, Andrew Jackson, may have killed my best friend, Lucy Larcombe and we know he kidnapped my dad, Horatio Caine, here in Las Vegas, from the hotel we're staying at."

Uncle Todd swore viciously. "If I ever get my hands on that little weasel, I'll...." He paused, catching his breath. "I'll talk to the Phoenix PD and let them know. Is there anyone specific I can recommend?"

"Umm, uh, Captain Jim Brass. He's working the case but so is the CSI supervisor, Gil Grissom," Savannah struggled to get out, all the while fighting the rising hysteria she could feel growing within her.

"Okay, okay. I'll take care of things from this end, okay, kiddo?" Uncle Todd soothed.

"Okay," she got out. "Umm, did, did they find a letter from me among Mama's effects?" she asked. "LVPD thinks that's how Andrew found out about the forensic conference here."

"A letter? No, I don't think so, but I'll double check and get back to you on that. I'll also let Phoenix know about that. You hang in there. I've got your number and I'll call you if I find out anything more."

"Okay," she said. She hung up, breathing hard and struggling to steam the scream building up in her. She had to let Calleigh know about the latest development, she had to let Captain Brass know to expect a file from PPD. She had to focus....

Jason jumped as a scream rent the air, over-lapping the sound of something smashing against a nearby wall. He dashed into the office and found his charge on the floor, curled in a fetal position, and sobbing hysterically.

"Ma'am, ma'am, what's wrong?" Jason asked, crouching next to her and trying to see what made the crashing noise; he spotted her cell phone against a nearby wall and winced when he saw it; it was going to need replacing.

"_He took my dad, he took my best friend, and now he takes my mother!_" she fairly screamed hysterically, tears coursing down her face.

As he gathered her up in his arms, trying to comfort her as best as he could, he quickly mentally reviewed what he knew about Savannah Caine.

Both she and her father, Horatio Caine, were from Miami, Florida, and had been attending the three-day conference, along with nearly five or six dozen other cops and crime scene investigators. Horatio Caine had been kidnapped from Caesar's Place during a forensic conference by a man identified as Andrew Jackson, a former boyfriend of Savannah's with a violent temper and who had a known history of abusing women, specifically Savannah. Andrew Jackson and Savannah Caine were both from Alabama and Andrew was suspected of murdering Savannah's friend, Lucy Lacombe. He was also suspected of murdering a previous girlfriend who had tried to charge him with assault.

He didn't understand what she meant about her mother being taken but suspected he wouldn't like the answer anyway.

Several other people had come running at the sound of Savannah's scream and he said, "Better get Captain Brass; I've got a bad feeling things just got worse." Someone nodded and he turned his attention to the sobbing young woman in his arms. He cradled her as best as he could and it wasn't difficult to do because she had a death-grip on his shirt and shoulders. Her sobs were broken-hearted, frightened, and grieving, the kind that came from someone who had lost too much too soon.

A fierce sense of protectiveness came over him and he knew right there and then that no matter what happened, this woman was his charge and he was damned if he was going to let anyone else hurt her while she was in Las Vegas.

Captain Brass appeared a few minutes later and immediately went over to them. "What happened?" he asked, concern etched on his face as he crouched down beside them.

"I'm not sure, sir," Jason admitted. "She said someone had taken her father, her friend, and now her mother."

Brass sighed heavily and said, "Okay. Savannah, Savannah what happened?"

By this time Savannah's sobs had lost some of the hysterical edge to it even as she continued to cry. "Uncle Todd called," she got out. "Said Mama had been murdered at the hospital she was at, that she had been suffocated."

"And you think it was Andrew?" Brass asked gently.

Savannah hick-upped and nodded. "Said he would get in touch with Phoenix PD and have them send you the case file. Doesn't know if my letter was with Mama or not but said he would try and find out."

"Okay, good. I'll let the others know," Brass said. He looked at Jason and said, "You stay with her, okay? Wherever she goes, you go."

"Understood, sir," Jason said, rubbing Savannah's shoulder's gently. Brass left, taking out his cell even as he moved and punching in numbers. Jason coaxed Savannah to stand up and they moved to the couch that was in the office. There was a box of tissues nearby and he snagged a couple, handing them to her. He had a few sisters and knew women, as a general principle, hated it when they cried because they felt they looked horrible afterwards, especially with their runny noses and red eyes. He let Savannah ride her grief out until her sobs eased off and she appeared to have regained some control of herself. "I'm sorry about your mother," he said honestly.

She sniffed and nodded, accepting the tissues and attempting to mop up her tears and runny nose. "It wasn't enough for him to try and take my soul, now he takes the people I care about. I can't... this has to stop."

"Yes, it does," he said.

"I know everyone is doing the best they can but I can't help but wish there was something I could do," she admitted.

"I think I can help you with that," came a gentle male voice. Both Jason and Savannah looked up. A detective Jason recognized as Detective Vartann, stood in the doorway. "I understand you're a forensic artist and a damn good one."

She nodded and pointed to a notebook on the desk. "Some of my work is in there."

He came into the office and picked up the notebook, flipping through it, nodding as he did. "You're good, I'll give you that much," he said. "We're a bit short-handed for a good forensic artist and we have a couple of cases that need a face. One of 'em is a kid. Feel up to it?"

She studied Vartann for a minute then said, "Okay but I'll make you a deal. I'll give you the faces, you give me a letter that says I did what I did on an official capacity and how it helped. I'm working on my certification and one of the requirements is a few letters from law enforcement that indicates my work has helped on that level."

"Fair enough," Vartann said. "I'll get you the files but I should warn you, one of them may be tricky."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's a kid and Doc Robbins figures she's no more than four or five and she's been in the water for a bit."

"Just a baby," Savannah said. "Is she still here? I may need to check her teeth and a few other details."

"I believe so and I'll let the doc know." And with that he left to get the files.

"You're a forensic artist?" Jason asked curiously.

"Not certified but working on it," she admitted, blushing. "Right now I work for the Miami-Dade PD and am working on getting my Bachelor of Science while I'm at it. Thinking about joining Dad's lab."

"Always a good thing," he said, grinning. "We need all the help we can get." He looked at her seriously. "You going to be okay?"

She nodded. "It hurts and it probably will hurt for a while but time heals everything, or so I've been told."

"Time doesn't heal everything, it just makes it easier to deal with," he said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

In short order, Detective Vartann brought Savannah the files and she got to work after a quick trip to the washroom to clean up her face. She knew there wasn't much she could do at this point, other than work on the files and try and help the LVPD the only way she could; by utilizing her skills as a forensic artist.

In the evidence layout room, files were spread out and being poured over.

"Okay, Phoenix PD sent over a copy of their case file on Mary Abbot's murder at the Banner Behavioural Health Hospital," Brass said. "There's no mention of a letter being found amongst Mary's personal effects."

"What about a picture?" Calleigh asked. "I remember Savannah sent a photo of her and Horatio with the letter."

Brass checked the inventory list and shook his head. "No photo."

"So it's safe to assume that Andrew took it," Flack said. "Any idea as to the contents of that letter?"

"Savannah said the letter mentioned the forensic conference in Las Vegas," Calleigh said. "It wouldn't take much to find the conference."

"And from there, some lying and some cash flashing," Mac said.

"There's an APB out on the truck and on Andrew but for now there's not much we can do," Catherine admitted.

"Except hope that Andrew calls Savannah," Nick said. "We checked Horatio's cell and found prints on it that didn't belong to him."

"Andrew?" Gil asked.

"They're a match to the prints Sheriff Donaling sent over," Nick confirmed.

"What was in the coffee urn?" Sheldon asked.

"Tox came back with flunitrazepam, and a nasty dose of it as well," Greg said.

"Roofies," Sarah said. "Wonderful."

"But why would he kidnap Horatio?" Warrick asked. "If Savannah was his target, wouldn't she be easier to kidnap, rather than a full-grown man?"

"From what Savannah said of Andrew, he was all about power and control. The autopsy report on Lucy Lacombe said she was beaten to death prior to being thrown in the water," Calleigh said. "And Savannah mentioned that it had been Lucy who had helped her escape from Andrew in the first place."

"So punishment for helping Savannah," Sheldon said. "As well as information."

"Possibly, but I don't think Lucy gave up that information easily or he wouldn't have gone for a woman who hadn't spoken a word in years," Calleigh said.

"No, but if he knew Savannah well, then he would have guessed that one of the places she might have gone to was where her mother was," Catherine said. "As for killing Mary, who knows? Maybe he thought her a waste of flesh and decided to do what he thought was a merciful thing by terminating her life?"

"And Horatio?" Warrick asked.

"Again, control," Calleigh suggested. "If he has Horatio, he has control of the situation and thinks Savannah will do whatever he wants to get her father back safely."

"Did he count on bringing the whole of the LVPD down on his head?" Gil asked sourly.

"He got away with murder once," Calleigh pointed out. "Probably thinks he can buy his way out again if need be. As for Savannah, I think what Andrew didn't count on is the fact that Savannah's had a chance to heal. She's not the same girl who first came to Miami."

"_You're right, I'm not_," came Savannah's tired voice as she entered the room, carrying a series of files. A young beat officer was right behind her. "I'm on my way back from the morgue but thought I'd stop here for a moment, see if there was anything else I could contribute."

"Why the morgue?" Gregg asked.

"Detective Vartann asked me to do some forensic sketches for several cases, one of them being a child," Savannah explained. "I needed to check something in regards to the victim as I haven't had much experience with a young child."

"Okay," Gil said, curious.

"I wanted to see what her teeth look like," Savannah clarified. "I know what the x-rays show but the autopsy photos didn't show her teeth and I strive to be as accurate as possible." She indicated the officer behind her and said, "He's my bodyguard."

Then her cell rang and everyone froze. She put the files down on the table and pulled out her cell. Not recognizing the number but noting it had a Las Vegas area code, she flipped it open.

"Savannah Caine here," she said, snagging a pen and writing down the number before shoving it towards someone. Nick snagged it and headed for a computer to do a reverse directory check.

"_Does a little girl miss her daddy?_" came Andrew Jackson's drawling voice.

Savannah froze, her eyes going wide. She grabbed a dry-wall marker and scribbled "ANDREW!!" on a nearby whiteboard. Everyone snapped to attention.

"You have my father, you son of a bitch," she snarled, trying to hide her fear.

"_That I do. What are you going to do about it?_" Andrew asked sweetly.

"How about if I bring the entire Las Vegas PD down on your fat head for starters?" she shot back. "You didn't just kidnap my dad, you kidnapped a cop and he may be from Miami but cops, no matter where they're from, tend to be a bit funny about other cops being kidnapped."

Andrew chuckled. "_Still the high-and-might bitch as always_," he said. "_Unfortunately for you, I'm ahead of the game. I get what I want and you get what you want_."

"And what's that?" Savannah demanded.

"_I want you to get your sorry ass over here_," he snarled, his voice going cold. "_Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ leaves me the way you did. You belong to me and it's high time you learned that, little girl_."

"Andrew wants me," Savannah wrote on the board. "And what do I get?" she demanded.

"_Your father gets released without a bullet to his knee_," Andrew shot back. "_Once you get your ass over here, I release him and we head back for Alabama and you never, ever leave me again._"

"What's to stop me from trying to escape you?" she demanded, even as she wrote Andrew's demand on the whiteboard. "You know forcible confinement is against the law in any state."

"_Try it and you won't leave the state alive,_" Andrew said coldly. "_That's if I don't permanently take out your father._" When Savannah didn't reply to that, not sure what to say, he continued. "_I'll call you in an hour with the location._" And he hung up.

Savannah turned off her cell and sat down heavily on a nearby chair, shaking. Jason put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and she found herself leaning against him, needing the support.

"And the game's afoot," Gil said dryly.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Once again, thanks for your patience and your kind reviews.

**Chapter 13**

As promised, Andrew called back an hour later. The number he'd used earlier traced back to a phone booth outside a seedy hotel just off the Strip. By the time the police got there, he was long gone and so was Horatio.

When Andrew called, SWAT had been alerted to the situation and the supervisor commander was in the room, his team on stand-by. He had been introduced as Bryan Newberry and he took the situation very, very seriously, especially once he learned about Andrew's background and the suspicion that Andrew was responsible for two, possibly three, murders.

The address Andrew gave was an abandoned warehouse near McCarran International Airport. She had one hour and she was to be packed and ready to go when she got there.

To Savannah, the location made sense as Andrew had already indicated he was going to be taking her back to Alabama. Whether or not he chose to use a public flight or a chartered flight was the question, but she offered the opinion that he might prefer to use a chartered flight to better keep her under control and have less questions asked.

"_Oh, and Savannah?_" he said, before she hung up.

"What?"

"_Wear something sexy. I want to see cleavage and legs,_" he said, a sneering grin in his voice. Then he hung up.

"Sexy, huh?" Catherine asked. She looked at the two other women in the room. "Well, there's sexy and then there's sluttish."

"And he didn't specify how sexy, he just said for her to flash some cleavage and legs," Sarah said, grinning.

"Savannah?" Calleigh asked gently.

"I don't have anything with me that would qualify for what he's talking about," she admitted. "I've got mostly slacks and blouses, office-type, comfortable stuff. I don't know how to do what I think he wants me to do, which is mini-skirts and that sort of stuff. That's not my style. That's what he likes but that's not me."

Calleigh smiled sympathetically, remembering the fun she'd had with Natalia not that long ago, when Savannah had come to her and admitted she didn't have a clue about putting make-up on and wanted to learn. She looked at her female counter-parts and said, "I think we need to go shopping."

"So we go shopping, the boys set up the trap," Sarah said.

"We can do that," Bras said easily. "We have one hour to get ready and get this guy. Can your people be ready by then?" he asked Bryan.

"Ready and waiting," Bryan said, taking out his cell. "They're already on stand-by; I'll call 'em."

"Have fun, girls," Gregg said, grinning.

Jason elected to remain behind, confident that Savannah would be safe with the three women.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, at an agreed staging area, Savannah, Calleigh, Catherine, and Sarah returned, the transformation of Savannah complete.

Jason's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Savannah. With Catherine and Sarah's help and Calleigh's advice, she now wore low-rise fitted jeans that emphasised her long legs, tan lace-up granny boots, a lace-edged powder blue tank top that flashed a bit of cleavage, and a colourful embroidered denim blazer, decorated with butterflies and flowers in beads, sequins, and bright thread. The blazer had been a bit of a splurge on Savannah's part, but as she had rightly pointed out, she was an artist and her job involved art; it wouldn't hurt to look it. She looked sexy but in a soft, eye-catching way that made the best of her attributes.

The plan was simple. Savannah would take a 'cab' from the staging area, with Brass driving, to the warehouse. She would be carrying a traveling bag equipped with a flash-bang that would detonate after a certain amount of time once she dropped or threw the bag.

Using the cover of darkness, SWAT and LVPD would carefully surround the warehouse and wait for Savannah to use the flash-bang or for Horatio to be released. Once Horatio was secure or the flash-bang detonated, SWAT and LVPD would move in and Savannah would have approximately thirty seconds or less to hit the ground as they attempted to catch Andrew off-guard. The plan was to try to avoid a potentially dangerous shoot-out and get Savannah and Horatio to safety.

Savannah would be equipped with a radio and would maintain contact at all times, but the catch was in order to avoid tipping Andrew off, she would have to maintain silence on her end, meaning she would not be able to talk to the team until or unless absolutely necessary. The other catch was that due to her clothing, Savannah would not be able to wear a Kevlar vest as it would tip off Andrew that the police were nearby.

After everything had been settled and agreed upon, Jason quietly pulled Savannah to one side. He had grown fond of her in the short time he'd been guarding her. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that she would soon be returning to Miami, hopefully safe and sound and with her father, he would have seriously considered asking her out.

"Are you licensed to carry a weapon?" he asked.

"In Florida, yes, but not Nevada," she replied, wondering where this was going.

"Okay," he said. He brought out a small, compact gun that was a dark blue, almost black color, and appeared well-worn but cared for, based on the number of dents and scratches she saw on the dark-brown grip. Savannah recognized the gun, having hung around Calleigh often enough. It was a Walther PPK, a German-made gun favoured by a lot of cops and plain-clothes as an excellent back-up gun. "This is my back-up gun and it's been in the family for years. It belonged to my father and served as his back-up gun; same with his father, all the way back to the Second World War, when the guns first came out, back in 1931. There's always been a cop in our family and this has gotten passed on down the line."

"Okay," Savannah said, not sure where this was going.

"I'm not comfortable with you going into a situation like this without a vest, and since you can't, the least I can do is make sure you've got some means of protection, even if it's just a gun like this. It's loaded, with six rounds." He indicated a leaver on one side of the gun and said, "Right now it's in the safety position, meaning it won't fire until you push the lever up. Once you do, simply pull back the hammer, and it's ready to fire." He slid it into a well-worn holster that had a clip on one side, and handed the gun to her. "It's a case of it's there if you need but don't use it if you don't have to."

"Understood," she said, accepting the weapon. She tucked it in the back of her jeans, under her blazer, adjusting it so that the gun lay snugly against her lower back but she could still reach it easily enough. "Thank you; I appreciate this."

He nodded and, on impulse, reached down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "For good luck," he said, flashing her a mischievous grin, before sauntering off to join the other officers who were getting their gear on and getting ready to head for the warehouse, leaving Savannah with her mouth hanging open, blushing ferociously.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: sorry for the slight delay in up-dates but once again RL got in the way. I'm just about finished this particular segment and then I'm on to a few others I've yet to complete.

**Chapter 14**

At the appointed time Savannah got into the cab and was carefully handed the loaded travel bag. Brass, a cap on his head to minimize his appearance, drove.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, watching her closely as she took out the Walther PPK, checked the clip, and set the switch before tucking it back behind her back. "Just say the word and we can do this without you. It's that easy."

She chuckled ruefully.

"Something funny?"

"Just remembering something."

"Oh?"

"One week I was having a particularly tough time dealing with things. My emotions were all over the place, my thoughts were all over the place, I just, I was having trouble dealing with life at that point and I remember commenting to Dad that I thought things were supposed to get easier."

"What did your dad do?" Brass asked.

"Gave me a subtle reminder; I came home one day and found this Precious Moments figurine on my dresser. It was a little girl holding a letter from the Father and the letter said, 'Dear Child: I never said it would be easy. I said it would be worth it. Heavenly Father.' He didn't say, I didn't ask, but after that, whenever things got tough I would find myself looking at that figurine and reminding myself that it's not about things being easy, it's about things being worth it."

"That's worth remembering," Brass said, nodding.

"And right now, the only way I'm going to be able to get Dad back is to face down Andrew. Yeah, we could do this the easy way and let SWAT have their fun but you and I both know the risks are that much more higher because we don't know what Andrew has with him," Savannah said. "And if I face down Andrew now, it's over for good because I'll have turned the light on the monster."

Brass nodded in understanding. He pulled up to the warehouse and spoke into the radio that connected them to the waiting team. "Place looks dark but there's a light inside the building. One truck parked outside, no sign of the suspect or Caine. Savannah's going in." She mimed handing him some cash, which he 'accepted' and she got out, just as she heard the radio squawk, "10-4, teams are in position and ready to go."

She took a deep breath even as she felt her heart start pounding. Out of habit, she looked up at the night sky, searching for the moon. There it was, bright and full, and she smiled. Then a star caught her attention; it seemed to be shining brighter than the rest of the stars in the sky and she couldn't help but wonder if it was her mother, watching.

_I'll be okay, Momma, I promise, but if Father has a bit of extra strength, I sure could use it right about now,_ she thought.

As if from nowhere, a gentle breeze picked up, and for a moment, just a moment, she could have sworn someone lightly touched the side of her face in reassurance. She smiled and started walking towards the open door of the warehouse.

The warehouse was dark, save a single, brightly-lit camp lantern on a cheap card table. There were a couple of large, empty crates off to one side and she made note of their position in case she had to duck for cover.

Andrew emerged from the shadows, cradling a sawed-off shot-gun and wearing a smirk on his face. He eyed her appreciatively.

"Good girl," he said.

She stared at him, old memories rushing to the surface. The yelling, the insults, the hits... it all came back, and as they came back so did a cold rage. In that moment she understood; Andrew didn't scare her any more. He was just another bully who thought he was king of the hill and ruled his 'kingdom' with fear and pain rather than love and kindness. He didn't know what real love was; people like him never did and when they were shown it, they considered it weak. Horatio didn't and he had taught her that through the simple act of caring without demanding, other than asking that she give her best. He had shown her friendship and support and she, in her turn, had grown stronger and better than she ever was before.

No, Andrew didn't scare her any more. He just made her mad and that rage gave her more strength than she could have ever hoped for.

"Where's my dad?" she demanded. "You promised me that if I came you would let him go."

"I'm over here, Savannah," came Horatio's tired voice. Partially hidden by the shadows was Horatio Caine, arms around a support post and hands held in place by handcuffs. He looked tired and sported a nasty-looking bruise on one side of his face.

"What did you do to him, you bastard?" Savannah snarled.

"Watch the lip, bitch," Andrew shot back, before throwing something at her which she caught before it hit her face; cuff keys.

"Cut him loose and get him out of here. Then get your ass to the truck," Andrew snapped. "Our flight leaves in fifteen."

She did as she was told, going over to Horatio.

"You shouldn't have come," Horatio whispered once she was close enough.

"You're my dad. Besides, who says I came alone?"

"Plan?"

"There's a six-shot gun in the back and a bang in the bag. Once I throw it, we have less than five seconds to hit the ground," she hissed as she worked the cuffs on Horatio's wrists.

"Hope he doesn't use his gun," Horatio said, seeing the white wire in her ear. "Back-up?"

"Listening and waiting. Crates."

He nodded, understanding. She finally got the cuffs undone and he pretended to stagger, reaching for her. She moved to assist him and his hand found the gun, pulling it out and pulling back the hammer in one smooth move. Even as they dived for the crates, she flung the bag, hard, towards Andrew, catching him off-guard.

"_Now!_" she yelled, as both she and Horatio covered their ears and screwed their eyes shut. Seconds later, an explosion filled the warehouse and chaos reigned.

In seconds it was all over. Within moments SWAT and LVPD had swarmed the building and Andrew was down on his stomach, hands over his ears and screaming obscenities.

"This is your fault!" Andrew yelled at her. "You should have just done as you were fucking told, you stupid bitch!"

Supporting Horatio, who was glaring at Andrew, Savannah replied coldly, "No, this is your fault, for thinking you could ever hope to control me." And with that, she helped her father out of the building, to where an ambulance was waiting for them.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Okay, I'm sorry to do this to all of you, but this is the final chapter in this series. Whether or not I bring back Savannah at a later date is up in the air at the moment. However, thank you all for your reviews and your patience and if you are on Facebook, be sure to look up Vanessa Heckadon of St. Albert/Edmonton, and say 'Hi', especially near the end of May, when a special someone finally decides to make her appearance.

**Chapter 15**

It was over. Andrew had been taken in to custody for kidnapping and assaulting an officer. Horatio was sure there would be a number of other charges added, such as weapon charges and possibly murder charges. The more the merrier, as far as he was concerned.

Now that he was free, he had time to think about what had happened.

After he'd regained consciousness from the effects of the flunitrazepam in his system, he'd had time to study his situation and quickly realized it wasn't good. For one thing, Andrew Jackson was in the room with him and that in itself was not good.

Andrew had tied him to a chair in such a way that attempting to escape would be practically impossible, even with something sharp in one hand. He was in a hotel room and a cheap one by the looks of it and he quickly spotted the sawed-off shotgun on the one table in the room. Chinese food was on the table, along with several bottles of beer, a map, and a phone.

"So you're awake, huh?" Andrew sneered, studying his captive. "About fucking time."

"What do you want, Andrew?" Horatio asked.

"It's not about what I want, it's about what belongs to me and that is Savannah Abbot. Stupid bitch thinks she can just up and leave me. No one leaves me and I'm going to teach her that in such a way she'll never leave me again."

"Let me guess; through me."

"Bright boy. It's a little thing called a trade." And with that, notepad in hand, he went outside and placed a call at a nearby phone booth.

"Andrew, it's been some time since Savannah left you. She is not the same person you knew and she will not bend as easily as you might think," Horatio cautioned once Andrew returned.

Andrew sneered. "That's what you think. Girls like them, they're all the same. Knock 'em around a few times and they behave."

"Until one of them decides she's had enough and fights back," Horatio said.

"Then I just beat 'em that much more harder, until they learn who's master."

"Or until they're dead, isn't that right?"

"One dead bitch is the same as any other dead bitch; useless."

And that was that.

When it was time for them to go, Andrew put his bag in his truck but could not keep the shotgun trained on Horatio while he untied him. Horatio used that lapse to try and make a break for it by slamming his elbow into Andrew's face. Unfortunately he was still a bit weak from the date rape drug and his efforts only resulted in Andrew slamming the butt of his shot-gun against Horatio's head.

"Try that again, you stupid son of a bitch and the only thing Savannah will get is your dead body," Andrew snarled as he dragged a dizzy Horatio to the truck and threw him in non-too gently.

At the warehouse Horatio wisely cooperated with Andrew and did as he was told, putting his arms around the support post and cuffing himself. His head still rang from the earlier blow and he wisely decided to avoid angering Andrew any further at this point, at least until Savannah arrived, hopefully wit back-up. That was one thing he had been counting on from square one; that Calleigh and the others, like Mac, Flack, and Sheldon, were in on the situation and no doubt had alerted their Las Vegas counterparts. In fact, he would stake his life on it. Savannah was not stupid and was sure to realize very quickly and very early that something was wrong.

He was right. Savannah had not only brought their CSI friends, she had also brought the entire SWAT and LVPD with her. Her little bang in the bag was a flash-bang that had detonated within seconds of hitting Andrew.

"No, this is your fault, for thinking you could ever hope to control me," Savannah said, and in that moment Horatio could not have been more proud of his daughter. She had looked her nightmare square in the face and not backed down. Her nightmare was well and truly over but he knew there was more healing to be done, especially when he learned of Lucy Lacombe and Mary Abbot's murders.

It was then that he remembered the vision he'd had, one that he still wasn't too sure about. He would talk to Savannah about it but not right now; he needed time to think about it, to digest what had happened.

As he gave his statement to Brass, after letting the paramedics tend to him, he found himself being surrounded by his friends. Off to one side, he watched as Savannah was approached by an officer in an LVPD uniform and vest. She seemed to know the officer and they moved off to one side a bit more, out of earshot.

He smiled, watching as the young officer said something to Savannah, who replied, then wrote something on a notepad and tore off the sheet of paper before handing it to her, who was blushing badly. He suspected something had occurred between the officer and his daughter and he commented on it to Brass, who grinned, along with Catherine and Flack, who had seen the earlier interchange between Savannah and the young officer.

"Seems Savannah's got a bit of an admirer. That's Officer Jason Barker," Brass said. "Kid comes from a long line of cops and he was assigned to protect Savannah while she was in protective custody. I'm not sure what the whole story is, but Barker lent her his back-up gun and got a bit cozy with her before we cabbed it to the warehouse."

"Something tells me you'll be seeing a lot more of Barker in the near future," Flack quipped. "Especially if he decides to transfer to Miami."

"Wouldn't be the first time a guy's chased after a girl across the states," Catherine said, grinning broadly.

Horatio chuckled.

"He's a good kid," Brass said. "Unlike Bozo over there," he said, referring to Andrew as he was roughly shoved in a waiting squad car, "Barker would be one of the last guys to ever lay an abusive hand on a woman."

"That's good to know," Horatio said. He watched as Savannah looked up and spotted him watching her and she smiled. He smiled back and she came over to him.

"So what happens now?" she asked. "We only have two days left of the conference and I don't like the idea of Andrew ruining what bit of fun we could have."

"Now," he said, putting his arm around his daughter, "now we head back to the hotel, get some rest, and then we forget about Andrew and do exactly as you said; we have some fun."

"You know Eric and Ryan are going to jump you once we return home, right?" Calleigh asked, watching the pair of them in amusement.

"That's what family is about," Horatio said. "We jump because we care. Speaking of which, what's up with Officer Baker? I understand you two are quite friendly." He grinned as Savannah's face went scarlet again and she scratched the skin under her nose, not quite looking up at him.

"He was assigned to keep an eye on me and said now that Andrew was where he belonged, he was relieved of his duty, which meant he could ask me out," Savannah admitted. "I, uh, agreed to a coffee date with him before we left for Miami. I figure he's a cop, so what the heck."

"You know Eric is going to rag you about this when we get home," Horatio teased, watching as Savannah blushed even harder, especially when their friends grinned at her.

"When isn't he ragging me about something?" Savannah shot back, also grinning. "I swear he spends half his time ragging me about something or another!"

"Like you don't?" Calleigh replied. "I swear, you two are worse than brother and sister."

"God forbid," Savannah groaned, eliciting a laugh from the group.

And with that, Horatio knew Savannah would be just fine. Yes, she would grieve for her friend and her mother and he suspected a trip to Alabama was in the near future, but Savannah would be okay. She would heal and Andrew would never, ever lay a hand on her again. Who knows; perhaps, in time, she would even finally find love again, the right kind of love and the kind of love she deserved to know....

He smiled.


End file.
